Hans Eworth's 16th-century portrait of Mary Neville, Lady Dacre and Gregory Fiennes, 10th Baron Dacre gives a vivid and personal picture of the English nobility of this period, striking for its delicate details of face and costume. It is thought to have been painted to commemorate the family's return to favour following the execution of Mary Neville's husband in 1541.

Commissioned as the cover for Blur's 2000 album Blur: The Best of, Julian Opie's 'digital drawings' of the four band members reduce their subjects to their simplest form through unmodulated colours and thick black outlines. These striking prints, the only ones in these dimensions, are unique.

An evocative portrait of the soul singer Amy Winehouse by Dutch painter Marlene Dumas was acquired with our help in 2012, watch the curator explain why the gallery decided to add Amy-Blue to its contemporary collection.